OPINION * USA - The Costs of Low Transit Fares
Santa Monica,CAL,USA -The LookOut Colums, by Frank Gruber -May 10, 2010: ... Here is some unconventional wisdom: transit fares should be higher, to pay for better service, which will attract more riders -- riders who can afford to pay more and will do so for better service. If governments like the City of Santa Monica believe that fares are too high for low-income people, for the elderly, or for the disabled, then they should subsidize fares for those people. It would be easy to do, for example, with coupons or special fare cards -- the BBB has in fact itself recommended that the City Council authorize it to participate in a subside program run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for low-income people... But the City Council should not view the BBB as being part of a welfare system. The BBB is in the transportation business. Transit systems should deliver the best transportation they can deliver -- it's not up to them to solve the equity problems of our economic system. Get the subsidy somewhere else... If the members of the City Council want to subsidize transit for poor people, the elderly, the disabled, that's a great idea, but the subsidy shouldn't take the form of bad service for them and everyone else... (Photo from l.yimg: Big Blue Bus Terminal)* New York - Bus racks fine, lower fares better
Delmar,NY,USA -Times Union First, letter by DANIEL LAWLOR -May 15, 2010: -- I recently saw that the Capital District Transportation Authority received $50,000 from the federal government and is using that money to install bicycle carriers on its buses... It would help the economy more if CDTA instead would lower the bus fares all around, so a great many more people could benefit from the federal largess. It seems that CDTA would rather generate more fares than help the economy, by offering a way that a few bicycle owners can benefit rather than all the people who use the buses every day... (Photo from mississaugacycling.ca: Bus bike rack) Labels: opinion
posted by Unknown @ 11:23 AM
2 Comments:
It isn't accurate to assume that people with bicycles aren't regular bus riders. Bike racks on buses are great for those of us in the suburbs who don't have bus stops right out their front doors. The bicycle gets me to the bus route stop I need and then gets me to my destination which can often be a mile or two away from the bus stop. Bike racks are the gift that keeps on giving - you don't need to buy an expensive urban bike to take full advantage of them. Besides, $50K wouldn't go far in reducing fares and it would only be temporary until the money runs out. The bike racks last for years and years.
For how long could $50,000 to one city transit system reduce fares? for a couple weeks...if that. The bike racks are a brilliant idea. It increases transit ridership because those who couldn't efficiently get to a bus stop now can which means more money for the transit system. In turn, the transit system is then able to avoid frequent fare increases since more are taking transit. Also, it can save transit a lot of money in expanding bus stops out a mile or two in hard to reach places, since now a bicycle can get those riders to the nearest bus stop as fast as it takes someone who lives really close to the bus stop to walk there. Bike racks make sense to the bottom line.
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